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Manga of the Day Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto (Sakamoto desu ga?)

Sakamoto is the ‘coolest’ guy in school. The girls want him. The bullies can’t beat him. He makes the bad look good. Don’t underestimate his skills. Sakamoto’s prowess is out of this world.

My Review (Part 1)

Haven’t you heard? I’m Sakamoto aired its anime this year. I heard good things about the show but I needed to experience the manga first. Warning: there’s going to be a lot of school life reminders for those on Christmas break. *Apologies to those who have to go back soon. I hope this manga cheers you up.*

Sakamoto keeping cool in the face of real fire

The Art

Nami Sano’s art resembles the work of Yano Toboso specifically the infamous Sebastian of Kuroshitsuji. Sakamoto-kun has a similar look with the ‘demon’ butler. Both have an elegant form, charming aura, and fluid motion. Sakamoto also shares the ability to look beautiful even in the oddest transitional poses. Also, the emotion, or lack of, is similar where the character remains ‘cool’ when others start sweat-dropping.

No mistaking one Kubota for Sakamoto

Overall the manga is well-drawn. Every character has a distinctive detail making it easy to quickly recognize. For example, Kubota’s short pudgy figure stands out against his classmates, specifically when he is at Sakamoto-kun’s side. The classic pigtails are Aina’s signature feature and the gym teacher is the only character who breaks the status quo.

The Characters

Sakamoto has almost super-human abilities. He’s a master at performing tasks but a novice at understanding humanity. The jealousy of Sakamoto’s ‘coolness’ gets him into constant situations where he performs flawlessly without dissing his enemies. He wants to protect people even when they promise to beat him up.

Kubota-after being saved by Sakamoto-kun, Kobuta turns to him for help. He admires his rescuer without resenting the man’s ‘coolness’. Through the manga his confidence slowly starts to improve. He is protective of Sakamoto after discovering his mother’s obsession with the highschooler.

Aina-the most devious of competitors for the position of Sakomoto’s girlfriend. She has a history of manipulating guys. Sakamoto’s subtle rejections shock Aina. Obsessively stubborn Aina plots to win Sakamoto’s heart!

It’s all part of the plan

My Review (Part 2)

The character of Sakamoto-kun shares an otherworldly ability like that of Sebastian in Kuroshitsuji. His coolness makes a simple task an exercise in extravagance but he’s more than just a cool guy with skills. The guy is a mastermind at thwarting even the most devious bullies. No violence necessary.

Sakamoto: Gopher from Hell

For example, Maruyama-sama (2nd year bully) names Sakamoto his personal gopher. Instead of decking the guy, he does the grunt work above expectation. When Maruyama runs out of tasks, Sakamoto becomes obsessive at anticipating his every need. The ‘coolest’ guy in school leaves the senior bully traumatized.

Traumatizes bully Maruyama.. up pops Hayabusa

I enjoyed seeing the brilliant ways Sakamoto maneuvers through life. Every chapter has Sakamoto versus a problem. I loved the ideas but started to get disappointed with the lack of variety. Only so many bully besting scenarios before one begins to wonder where the manga is going.

Chapter five’s remark by Sakamoto ‘I am actually a denizen of this world’ hinted there could be a depth behind this unusual statement. Instead we never get insight into who Sakamoto is. Kubota sums up the conundrum of his closest friend. He doesn’t know anything about him. What makes his coolness possible? What is his life like? Who is he?

Never heard group dates described so academically

My biggest question was ‘why does he see humanity from the viewpoint of a scientist collecting data to analyze.’ Is there a non-human component to him? Is this why he wants to work for NASA? What are you Sakamoto? Are you a citizen from a different world residing on earth? Or are you a genetic anomaly born to be the ‘coolest’ high school student of all time?

Sakamoto, NASA, & a mission to Mars?

The manga’s ending left me feeling like something huge was denied to its readers. All the ‘whoa Sakamoto-kun is brilliant’ turn to ‘what was this manga’s message again?’ So much potential exists for Sakamoto desu ga if the creators would just give readers a few more chapters. Clear up the confusion over plot or a pre-manga chapter explaining Sakamoto’s abilities. I would even be open to having a follow-up manga series following his new life studying the stars. Yes. I am that interested to know more.

He puts the cool in school

To the Reader

Slice of life and school life manga fans will find lots to love in Sakamoto. Comedy genre fans will love the humor in this. Anyone looking to read a feel-good non romance manga should try it. Horror fans I recommend my new favorite webtoon: Bastard.